Rewritten
by Chasing.Twilight
Summary: when Tessa Gray steps through a doorway to nineteenth century England, she suddenly discovers what it means to live a life worth living.
1. Chapter 1

"_One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  
>–<em>_Henry Miller_

_Summer, 2011. New York City._

The girl with the long, dark hair pushed through the crowd, a hand wrapped around the messenger bag slung across her body. Rush hour traffic was unbearable.

She stepped around a child screaming for its father to pick it up, smiled at Lenny behind the desk at the ticket booth and swiped her card through the machine, effectively checking out of the madness for another day.

She had big grey eyes, and they widened considerably as she watched a cab swerve to avoid a teenager, headphones jammed tightly in his ears, crossing the street as Tessa reached the top of the stairs from the subway onto her street. The boy didn't even notice as the cabby drove away, swearing at him from his car window.

Tessa dug her keys from her bag as she drew nearer her apartment and, tired from walking all day, decided to take the elevator. Three flights of stairs felt like three thousand after the day she'd just had.

Her phone beeped in her pocket and she slid it from her pocket, stopping to read the message. Something from a loan company about claiming compensation. She rolled her eyes and deleted the message, her eyes skimming the nearly empty message box.

"Aunt Harriet?" Tessa said, dropping her keys on the coffee table next to the front door. It banged shut behind her as she headed down the hallway into the front room and found it to be empty. She sighed and threw herself down on the couch with a thump. There was a noise from the kitchen and a boy who was slightly taller than her and had ruffled blond hair walked out, holding a phone in his hand. He nodded a hello to her as he sat down on the other free chair, speaking into the phone.

"Mmhmm," he said, and then he rolled his eyes dramatically at Tessa, who giggled and scrambled up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, okay. Love you too. See you later." He flipped the phone closed and dropped in into his lap with a sigh. "You're lucky you're single, Tessie," he said rubbing his forefinger and thumb across his eyes, "girls are hard work."

"I resent that," she said, tucking her feet underneath her, "but I wouldn't be seeing a girl anyway, so it doesn't matter, does it?"

"I can't promise you boys are much better," he said, but he grinned at her and crossed his feet at the ankles, resting them up on the coffee table in front of him. "You'd better bring them home to meet me, first," he said, his eyes serious. Tessa laughed aloud and slouched back against the seat.

"Sure thing, Nate," she promised airily, "if I ever find someone remotely interested in my existence, I'll be sure to bring them back here to let you scare them off."

"If they let me scare them off, they aren't really made of the sort of stuff I want my little sister dating, anyway," he said with a satisfied grin. Tessa made a sound of agreement and looked around the room.

"Where's Aunt Harriet?"

"Something about a book class, or something," Nate said, waving a hand dismissively. "She said she'd bring home dinner."

"Awesome," Tessa said with a yawn, "I wasn't looking forward to eating spaghetti. Again."

"Hey!" Nate said, "if you want something else, you cook it!"

"Not on your night!"

They bickered back and forth for a while until the sun began to set outside, and the sky was flecked with different shades of pinks, oranges and blues. Tessa threw open the doors onto the small balcony that overlooked the city and walked out with a smile. She loved New York; the hustle and the bustle of the people, the feeling that something was constantly happening, that something could change any moment. She leant on the railing and as watched a car hurtled past the end of the road, some kids kicked a ball around downstairs, a man with a briefcase ascended the stairs from the subway. She'd lived in the city for all of her life – with her parents before they'd died, briefly – and then with Aunt Harriet ever since.

She was nice to live with, Harriet – she mostly let them do what they wanted, but she always knew what to do in a problem. She always had a nugget of wisdom to share, a plaster to patch up a scraped knee – not that Tessa needed them, now she was seventeen, - a smile at the end of a bad day. She'd taken them in immediately after their parents had died, and Tessa and Nate felt they could never repay her for her kindness.

Their Aunt had never married, so they had no cousins, but they'd always had each other as children and were very close. Tessa couldn't think of many memories that didn't include Nate in some way.

The door to the apartment thudded open, and Aunt Harriet called from the door.

"Hello, children!" she said, "dinner is ready!"

Tessa smelt the Chinese food before she'd even made it through the door and hurried hungrily towards the smell.

"My favourite!" she said, darting around Nate as he tried to beat her. She pushed him playfully aside as she did and he bumped into the wall.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, and she laughed, reaching Harriet and plucking a box of sweet and sour chicken from her hands.

"Is the sauce on the side?" she asked, heading towards the kitchen. As she returned, she saw Harriet giving Nate chopsticks, but Tessa could never make them work for her.

"Of course," Harriet said, sat down with her shoes off and a box of the same meal as her niece in front of her. "That's the best way to have it!"

Nate grunted as he tucked into his food. Tessa plopped down next to Harriet and sighed in contentment as she ate the first bite.

"Did this stuff come from that place on fifth?" she asked, tipping some sauce onto the rice.

Harriet nodded. "They give you free crackers while you wait."

She flicked the television on and settled back to watch the news. They ate in silence as they watched a story about a high profile murder in the city.

"Another one," Nate said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "That's the third one this month."

"It makes me so worried about you two," Harriet sighed.

Tessa snorted. "We live in _New York City,_ Aunty. You should always be worried about us."

Harriet swiped at her and Tessa ducked away from her hand with a chuckle. They finished eating and Harriet left to have a shower, while Nate switched on his playstation. Tessa decided to go for a walk.

New York was beautiful at night. She'd heard plenty about the stars, but you couldn't really see them with all the lights. Still, she loved to climb up high enough to see all of the lights from the hotels and bars and cars and just watch them all exist and whiz by and blare against the darkness as if screaming _I'm here, watch me burn._

Before leaving the apartment, she grabbed her messenger bag. In it, she still had two books she wanted to finish before the end of the week and she loved to read outside, where she could really hear the birds as she read about them.

She took the stairs this time, enjoying the feel of the wind as it rushed up towards her as someone opened the door to the building downstairs. She walked leisurely, with no particular destination in mind. On the second floor, she heard a woman yelling at someone. There was a loud bang as a door was thrown open and hit the wall next to it. A second later, an attractive boy with glasses hurried past her, a sour look on his face. Tessa waited until the sound of his footsteps had disappeared and then peeked around the corner. It was empty.

The yelling didn't faze her. It was New York; if you didn't know how to stick up for yourself, you were in the wrong city.

With a shrug, she turned back to the stairs, and saw something from the corner of her eyes.

Nestled in the alcove next to the stairs was a doorknob. It didn't appear to be attached to a door, just simply a piece of the wall. She had never seen it before, but supposed it must be because it was hidden in the shadow of the wall opposite it. Still, she had lived here for nearly ten years. It was strange to think she couldn't remember ever seeing it before.

There was a humming sound coming from it, and she definitely had no recollection of hearing _that_ before. She inched near, her brow furrowed. She pushed her dark curls behind her ear impatiently, catching her finger on a piercing at the top of her ear. She muttered an "ouch" and moved closer, pressing her ear against the wall. There was definitely some sound coming from the wall, but what it was, she wasn't sure. She looked down at the handle and gripped it with her right hand.

As soon as her fingers clamped down on the metal, her arm jolted painfully and Tessa felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of her. She felt her body slide towards the wall without her permission and tried to pry her fingers away from the knob, but they wouldn't move. It seemed as if now she was there, she was there for the whole ride.

Suddenly she was _through_ the wall, and flying through the air until she had landed on her back in a room very different from the one she had just left. Sitting up slowly, Tessa rubbed the back of her head where she had hit it on the floor. The room she was in was small and there was no light but a single candle, flickering on a wooden table near a bed. The room appeared to be empty, so she stood up and had a better look around.

The room was simple, only a bed, the table and a small dresser on the opposite wall. The bedspread looked hand knitted. Tessa looked for a door and found one next to the dresser. She opened it and found herself in a passageway, even darker than the one she had left behind. Where she was, it appeared to already be night.

She took a deep breath. She'd hoped that by going back through the door, she'd end up back where she'd started, but that didn't seem to be the case. She felt hysteria build up in her throat but pushed it back, focusing on the sound of approaching footsteps instead. She didn't know if she should present herself and ask for help, or if she should hide until she had a better idea of where she was. Deciding on the latter, Tessa ducked back inside the door and listened as the steps kept going past her. She wondered how they could even see anything, but as she peeked out and saw them round the corner that was at the end of the passageway, she saw a glow of bright, pure light, so bright in the darkness she had become accustomed to that it made her eyes hurt.

She had never seen light like that before, but if they had torches that bright, she thought, they must use a lot of batteries. She slipped out the door again and headed the way the footsteps had come from until she reached a stairway. She headed up the stairs and found herself in what looked like the entrance to a large house. Another stairwell led upstairs opposite her, while a large set of wooden doors seemed to lead to a huge room of some kind opposite her.

"Where the hell _am_ I?" she breathed, looking around at the tapestries that adorned the walls. This did _not_ look like New York City.

There was the sound of voices from behind the big wooden doors and Tessa darted across the hallway, ducking down to hide beneath the stairs. The door opened and closed. It had thrown out a man dressed in a waistcoat, shirt and straight black trousers. He was tall, with unruly ginger hair spurting from the top if his head. He was wearing glasses and chatting quite animatedly to a younger man, who had the strangest pale silver hair. He was dressed similarly, and both seemed to have black tattoo's creeping out of the places their shirts covered their skin.

"Quiet ingenious," the taller man said, in a distinctly English accent, "I wish I had thought of it myself -"

They disappeared down the stairway Tessa had just climbed and she fell back against the wall behind her with a huff. Where _was_ she?

She slipped out from behind the stairs and decided to go back down to the room she had ended up in and see if she could find another door. She was halfway across the entryway when there was another bang behind her, signalling that the door the men had left through had been opened again. She spun around and clapped her hands over her ears as the pretty blond girl in front of her opened her mouth and emitted a blood curdling scream.

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><p>So here we are! A new multi chap fic (I haven't written one of these for about two years, I am notoriously bad updater.) I came up with this while I was sitting at work today and I've already outlined all the chapters (which I never usually do, which probably explains the lack of updates on other multi chap fics) and it even has the potential to have a sequel. But enough about that, I haven't even written <em>this<em> one yet! Are you a little perplexed? Not to fear; all will be explained!


	2. Chapter 2

So, I wanted to update so quickly after my last one because for the majority of August I will be away frequently and don't know when I'll have internet connection or even the time to sit down and write another chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze one in while I'm at home, however rare that may be.

Also, I kind of feel like I need to say that Tessa may seem a little out of character during this fic, because I'm trying to transition her into a 21st century girl who isn't prim and proper and who says what she feels – to a degree, anyway. I don't really know what the right way to go about this is, but I can understand if you get frustrated by her character, or dislike her. Personally, I think Tessa has always been a firecracker and now she's from a time it's alright to be one, she'd be having the time of her life.

And finally - thank you so much for the positive reviews! I feel a bit rusty at this whole multi chap thing, but your support is fabulous. Cookies all round! :-)

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><p><em>London, England, 1878<em>

A woman – Tessa thought she was a woman, but she was very small – darted out into the hallway, followed by the most handsome boy Tessa had ever seen.

"What on earth is all this racket about?" the woman asked, hands on her hips. She looked as if she was very kind, but now her face was severe. Somehow, the look didn't really suit her.

"Yes, Jessie," the boy said witheringly, "Charlotte and I were just thinking of ways to dispose of you. Evidently, we'll have to re-evaluate our plans. I don't think we planned for your big -"

"Will," the woman, Charlotte, snapped. The other girl, Jessie, was still staring at Tessa, who was rooted to the spot, watching them all. The boy was dressed in the same kind of outfit as the other two men had been, but the women – the younger one, anyway – was clothed in a dress that Tessa had only seen in pictures of women from the past, ones that were worn when Queen Victoria reigned in England.

Tessa swallowed hard. She was definitely _not_ in Kansas anymore.

"Who is this?" the boy asked, his voice alive with wonder. He, like both the women, had an English accent. Tessa looked at him and saw he was staring intently at her, head cocked to the side in contemplation. He had dark blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through her, and a tangle of dark hair. His sharp cheekbones gave his face fantastic definition and his full mouth that was puckered in thought.

Charlotte finally seemed to realise Tessa was there. She looked confused and then mildly alarmed.

"Who are you?" Charlotte demanded, and Tessa watched as her hand moved towards a knife that was tucked in the belt the small woman was wearing. Tessa threw her hands up in surrender and back away.

"Woah," she said quickly, "my name is Tessa. Where the hell _am_ I?"

The women didn't seem to know what to say to her, but Will stepped forward and answered her, pleasantly enough. "London, England, but you're American, no question about it. I'm William Herondale, Tessa. Tessa who?"

"Gray," Tessa said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Will watched the journey of her hand as it touched her face and then dropped to her side again. Tessa's eyes darted away from his, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks.

"And how, may I ask, Miss Gray, did you end up in our humble abode?"

"I would love to know myself!" Tessa exclaimed, looking around. "I opened a door and here I am!"

"Opened a door from _where_, Miss Gray?" Charlotte seemed to have found her voice and stepped forward next to Will. Tessa saw Charlotte glance down at what she was wearing, and looked down herself. Her black leggings and cardigan definitely did not fit in with what appeared to be the fashion.

"I was in New York," Tessa said, "and it was 2011, but -"

"Is _that_ what people are wearing in the future?" the other girl asked Tessa, her nose turned up in disgust. Tessa's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms.

"Got a problem with that, blondie? It's not as if you need to worry about it. You're not gonna make there, are you?"

Will exploded with laughter and turned back to other girl. She was very pretty, with brown eyes and light hair and beautiful skin, but her beauty seemed to sour as she regarded Tessa with a scowl.

"This is Miss Jessamine Lovelace," Charlotte said, motioning to the girl, "and I am Charlotte Branwell. It is the year 1878, and you are in the London Institute. I may be very wrong, Miss Gray, but I'd venture a guess that you have absolutely no idea what that means."

"You're not wrong," Tessa said, looking away from the glaring contest she'd been having with Jessamine and to Charlotte. "Like I said, I opened a door in my apartment block and ended up in a room in your... _Institute."_ Tessa paused and then asked uncertainly, "Institute for what?"

"Shadowhunters, of course," a voice from behind her said, "who on earth is this?"

Charlotte looked exasperatedly over Tessa's shoulder. The man from before with the bright red hair had returned, alone this time, clutching a large stone.

"This is Miss Tessa Gray," Jessamine said sourly, "an unexpected visitor, from New York."

"Pleasure to meet you," the man said, inclining his head in her direction. "I'm Henry, Henry Branwell."

"Miss Gray," Charlotte said, and Tessa turned back to the woman, "can you show us where you ended up?"

"What's a Shadowhunter?" she asked, looking around at the four of them. She noticed Charlotte also had the tattoos on her body. No one answered her.

"Miss Gray," Charlotte asked, stepping closer to her. "If it's not too improper to ask, are you -"

She stopped and looked a little awkward.

"Are you human, she means," Will said, looking amused. Tessa's brow furrowed.

"What else could I be?" she asked.

The others looked at each other.

"I think the best thing to do would be to go and see this room," Charlotte said, hands clasped together. Jessamine muttered something about returning to her room and Henry nodded.

"Wait," he said, "what room?"

Will rolled his eyes and approached Tessa, catching her by the elbow and leading her across the room. Tessa could feel his fingers burning through the material of her knitted cardigan.

"Miss Gray," he said in a low voice, walking her across the floor, "I thought I'd ask you discreetly, I wouldn't want to embarrass you. Are you of a right mind?"

Tessa's eyebrows flew up towards her hairline and she ripped her arm from his hand. "_Yes_, Mr Herondale, I am of a _perfectly_ right mind." She stomped away from him, leaving him behind wearing a sightly amused smile. Tessa turned back to Charlotte and Henry, who were still standing by the door and asked them, her tone coloured with annoyance, "well, are you coming?"

Looking somewhat flustered, Charlotte hurried across the entranceway and followed Tessa down the stairs in the darkness. Will darted beside Tessa with speed that could not have been human, and suddenly, the blindingly bright light from before was back. Tessa squinted towards the source of the light, but it was impossible to see where it was coming from.

"Catch," Will said, and the light dimmed as something flew through the air. Tessa's arms shot out and caught a heavy round object – in the dimmed light, she could tell that it was another one of the large stones that Henry had been holding.

"Witchlight," Will said as Tessa examined it best she could in the darkness, "only works for Shadowhunters. It gives us light in the darkest of places." He plucked it back out of her hands and turned to Charlotte and Henry. "Not a Shadowhunter."

"Well, I could have told you that," Tessa said, feeling a little like she needed to defend herself.

The light flared up again, pushing away the shadows.

"You may have never known you were one," Will said, "it's not common, but I suppose not impossible."

Tessa shook her head. "_Not_ possible." Could she really be someone she didn't even know?

They reached the door and Tessa led them all inside. It hadn't changed since she'd last been in there. She turned to the congregation and threw up her arms.

"This is it," she said, "this is where I came out."

"So what exactly happened?" Henry said, looking fascinated.

"I was walking down the stairs in my apartment building, in New York, and like I said, it was 2011. There was some shouting and then I saw this doorknob and it was kind of nestled in a corner of the wall. I went to check it out and as soon as I put my hand on it, I was here."

"But how exactly did you get here?" Charlotte said, looking around the room, "there aren't any other doors in this room."

"I don't know," Tessa said, running a hand through her hair, frustrated. "I'd never seen this doorknob before. I just found myself on the floor in here."

Will was leant against the wall with his arms crossed. He watched Tessa carefully as she spoke.

"Very odd," Henry said happily, running his palms over the walls, "and yet quite ingenious. A portal that looks just like something you'd recognize in your own world. Perfect trickery."

"You think someone would want to – _bring_ me here?" Tessa said incredulously. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

"Do you have any enemies?" Will said, pushing himself off the wall, moving closer to Tessa. "An old school chum? A overzealous suitor, rejected because of the hideous size of his nose?"

Tessa shook her head in disbelief. "Listen, no. I don't have any enemies. I'm human and I don't know how I got here, but I just want to go home."

Charlotte looked pensive for a moment, before clapping her hands together. "Miss Gray," she said, "Will will show you to your sleeping quarters for the evening. First thing tomorrow I will have Magnus Bane come out to see you and determine – a few things, in ways only a warlock can. I'm sure there is a very simple explanation to all of this, some kind of magic we don't know of."

Tessa backed up a step. "Wait a minute; I really do _not_ want to stay here. I mean, no offence and all, but like I said, I want to go home. The door I came through must be in here _somewhere_, doors don't just _disappear -_"

"Well you can't very well stay here all night," Will said with an amused smirk. "These are Thomas's sleeping quarters. It wouldn't be proper for you share with him, unless you're already familiar with each other..."

Tessa glared at him. "Fine. I'll stay, but first thing tomorrow I am leaving. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be at home. God knows what my Aunt will think when she realises I'm gone."

A thought struck Tessa then; she dug into her pocket and extracted her phone.

"What is that?" Henry said, leaning closer to examine it. Tessa snapped it shut with a sigh after determining there wasn't any signal.

"A cell phone," she said, "and I don't have signal down here, so if I could get somewhere higher, that would be great."

"I'll show you to your room," Will said. He turned and disappeared out the door. After a moment, Tessa followed him.

"Miss Gray," Charlotte reached out and touched her shoulder. "I know this must be strange for you, but you are safe here. We are a kind lot. We will do our best to help you on your way."

Touched by the older woman's kindness, Tessa smiled at her. "Thank you," she said. "But please, call me Tessa." Charlotte returned the smile with a nod, and turned back to Henry. Tessa left the room and found Will waiting for her out in the corridor.

"This way," he said, and he took off quickly. "Keep up," he said, "we wouldn't you to get lost in here somewhere. Quite a few nasty surprises for those who don't know where they're going."

Tessa followed in silence, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of answering. They made their way up the staircase in the entryway.

"This is where we eat," Will said. "I'm sure you'll be hungry in the morning."

"I'm kinda hungry now, actually," Tessa said. "Time travel really takes it out of you."

Will cracked a smile in her direction. "I'll ask Agatha to make you something."

"Why is it," Tessa asked suddenly, "that none of you are completely freaking out – uh, why are you so calm about my arrival?"

"You see a lot of strange things in our line of work, Miss Gray," he said conversationally, as they walked down the first floor. You're very amusing, you know. Completely out of the ordinary."

"I'm _very_ ordinary," Tessa replied, "in my time anyway. To me, you guys are the weird ones."

"Weird?" Will asked as he came to a stop outside a room with a torch outside of it. He opened the door and Tessa moved to walk in.

"Strange," she said. "Definitely strange."

"This is my room," he said, voice coloured with amusement. "Dear me. First Thomas and now this; you are _very_ forward in the future, aren't you?"

Tessa blushed furiously and stepped away from the door.

"I thought you meant this was my room."

"No, yours is just there," he said pointing to the room opposite. "Would you like some help getting into bed, or can you manage alone?"

Tessa scowled at him. "I've managed so far." She turned on her heel and opened the door in front of her. Just as she slammed it shut, she heard Will's voice once more.

"Goodnight!"


	3. Chapter 3

sorry about the length of time it took to upload this chapter - summer is officially over now, so this is the first chance I've had to write something. It was an oddly busy summer.

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><p>Wary, even after Charlotte's promises, Tessa only managed to sleep a few hours on and off. She woke for the final time, desperately tired, something she put down to the time travel.<p>

She sat up and got a better look around the room now that there was some light from outside. She was in a large four poster bed that sat in the middle of the room. The heavy curtains were drawn slightly back, so that light was creeping in. The room was furnished with a large dresser table, a bedside table and a full length mirror.

There was a knock on the door. Tessa scrambled out of the plush bed and ran a hand through her messy hair as she opened the door slightly, peeking out into the corridor.

"Miss?" a pretty girl who had dark hair tied up underneath a white cap and a thick scar cutting across her face was standing outside the door. Tessa quickly averted her eyes from the scar, not wanting to seem rude.

"I'm Sophie," the girl said a little stiffly, having noticed Tessa's gaze, "I'm here to assist you in getting ready."

Tessa blushed and cleared her throat. "Assist me?" She replied, puzzled. "With what?"

"Dressing?" Sophie replied, seeming slightly perplexed.

"Oh, well I -" Tessa pulled the door open wider and looked down at her clothes, which she had slept in, "I don't suppose you have anything like this lying around."

Sophie shook her head, her lips pressed together in wonder as she observed the other girls outfit.

"Well, I'd really prefer to wear my own clothes, thank you." Tessa said, waving her hand around, "I'll be going home today anyway." Her confident tone made Sophie raise an eyebrow, but she stayed quiet. "It would be great if I could use the bathroom though." She stopped talking suddenly, her eyes widening. "You _do_ have a bathroom, right? Please tell me you have a bathroom."

Tessa's stomach sunk as Sophie looked even more confused.

"I don't know what a 'bathroom' is, Miss," Sophie said. "I can take you down to breakfast, though."

Tessa groaned and closed her eyes. "It's Tessa," she sighed. "My name is Tessa."

She opened her eyes in time to see Sophie smiling at her. She looked so pretty when she smiled.

"Miss Branwell sent me, but if you do not need any help..."

"I'd like a bath," Tessa said, thinking back on her high school history lessons, "could you, er – draw me one?"

Sophie looked relived. "Of course. Would you like me to show you where breakfast is? I can prepare it for you while you eat."

"Actually, Will showed me it last night," she said, and then she blushed, realising how it sounded. Sophie seemed to think nothing of it and nodded.

"So, uh, I'll just be off then," Tessa said awkwardly, stepping out into the hallway. Sophie bustled into the room and shut the door. Tessa shook her head and started down the corridor. She reached the end, but suddenly couldn't remember if she'd turned left or right the night before.

"Shit," she said, realising as she stepped off of the carpet and out onto the cold floor that she'd forgotten to put her shoes on.

"Are you lost?"

Tessa turned sharply and was greeted by the boy she had seen the night before, with the strange silver hair. At closer inspection she could see that his eyes were also the same pale colour. He was smiling at her, something she wasn't expecting after all the hostile greetings she'd had so far. It was a relief and she felt herself automatically smile back.

"Yes," she exhaled. "I am, actually. This place is crazy."

His smiled widened and he extended a hand to her. "James Carstairs, at your service. Call me Jem, everyone does."

Tessa shook his hand and introduced herself.

"So you're the mystery woman from the future," Jem said thoughtfully. "Not that you needed much of an introduction; your outfit rather does all the talking."

Tessa blushed. "Yeah, well I wasn't expecting to end up here. In fact, if I'd had it my way, I'd have stayed in 2011. I like to change my clothes every day, you see."

Jem chuckled. "Surely Sophie must have offered you a change of clothing?"

"She did, but I'm going home today; I didn't see the point of changing, really."

"That makes sense," Jem said. "Have you visited England before, in the future?"

Tessa shook her head. "Nope."

"Well this is my first time, too," Jem said, "although I have been here a while longer than you have. Should we go down for breakfast?"

Tessa nodded and he strolled ahead of her and led her in the right direction. Together, they descended the stairs.

"Where did you live before you came here?" Tessa asked, intrigued. He was obviously from somewhere in Asia, but she didn't want to offend him by mentioning the wrong place.

"Shanghai," he replied. "My mother was Chinese, my father British. And you are from New York, I understand?"

"Born and bred New Yorker," Tessa nodded. "Nothing exciting here."

"Nonsense," a voice said from behind them. "On the contrary Miss Gray, I think you are the most exciting thing that has happened to the Institute since Henry ate those bad radishes. God," Will said, stepping around them to open the door, "that was an exciting week."

Tessa narrowed her eyes and followed him through the doors. Inside was a huge room, with a table big enough for twenty sat in the centre of it. It was furnished with expensive china, flowers and a mirror that ran the length of a wall. Will sat down near the end and Tessa sat on the other side of the table opposite Jem, who sat next to the dark haired boy. Will smirked at her.

Tessa's toes curled under the table.

Jessamine flounced through the door, took one look at the seating arrangements and sat on the side furthest away from Will with a dramatic sigh. Will rolled his eyes.

"Tell me James," he drawled loudly, "do I smell? Everyone seems to be avoiding me."

"It's your attitude that stinks," Tessa bit back, folding her arms on the table. Will opened his mouth to answer back to her but just then, a man Tessa had yet to meet swept through the door.

"Good morning, Nephilim," he said, and Tessa couldn't help but stare. She was used to people dressing a little crazy in New York, but this man looked as if he was a whole century behind everyone else in the Institute. In fact, he looked as if he was a very colourful pirate. The little gold stud glinting in his left ear seemed to agree with her.

"I am Magnus Bane, but you know that already," he said with a wide grin, eyes sweeping the room. Tessa started as she took them in. They were – a pair of cats' eyes in a man's head.

Magnus spotted Tessa and his eyes widened.

"Oh," he said excitedly, "oh, this one is definitely _not_ of the Angel."

"We already knew that, Magnus," Will said, his body twisted round to face the other man. "Miss Gray would like you to get her home."

Magnus cocked his head as he took Tessa in. Embarrassed by his scrutiny, she looked down at the table.

"She doesn't even know," Magnus said quietly, but William still managed to hear.

"Know what?" he said, "there _is _something special about her, isn't there? I knew it."

"You didn't mention you knew it last night," Charlotte said, scurrying into the room. "Magnus, can I take your coat?"

As Magnus shucked his coat off, Will replied, "Well, I didn't want to scare the poor girl. She'd just fallen through a portal, after all."

Tessa was suddenly standing up, glaring at all of them. "Okay, listen. I don't care about what _you_ people are -" she motioned to Will, Jem and Jessamine who were watching her from the table with various amused and bored faces, "and I don't care what _you_ think _I_ am," this time she motioned to Magnus, "I just want to go home!"

"My dear," Magnus swept forward and clapped one of Tessa's hands between one of his own. "Tell me about your parents."

Tessa recoiled instantly. "That's none of your business."

"I thought so," Magnus said, turning to the room, "they never know the truth. Well, it could go two different ways from here. She might lose her head completely and turn us all into sheep, or she may just -"

"Turn you all into sheep? God, this is ridiculous," Tessa turned to Charlotte angrily. "Please, just make him send me back to New York."

"Miss Gray," Magnus said, "if I was to send you back to New York this instant, you would miss out on the most important moment of your life."

Will shuffled on his chair.

"And what would that be?" Tessa said scathingly, "more crazy talk?"

"You are a warlock, Miss Gray. Not human. Magic."

There was silence.

"What are you talking about," Tessa spluttered. "I'm _human_. My whole family are human. I've never done anything remotely magical in my life!"

"Except from creating a portal in 21st century New York," Magnus said, "and you've probably done it before, too, but not been aware you have. It happens sometimes."

"Tessa," Charlotte said, moving towards her, "perhaps you should stay for a while, to learn how to understand what you are. We have a very vast library, I'm sure you will able to find the answers you seek there -"

"No," Tessa said, drawing back in horror, "you're all crazy. I'm _human_ and I don't know I got here. I'm hoping it's just a dream and I'm going to wake up in a moment and be where I should. But if that's not the case then send me home _now_, dammit!"

She could feel the tears running down her face and swiped at them angrily. She didn't like to cry in front of people; it made her feel weak.

"Miss Gray -"

Magnus stepped forward and reached a hand out to touch Tessa's head. She began to feel sleepy and felt her body start to fall, unresponsive underneath her. There was the sound of scraping chairs and hurried feet, but they were only background noise to Tessa now.

"You have a purpose in this place, Miss Gray," Magnus whispered to her as she fell, but his words seem to shriek and echo in her ears, "I will not send you home. You must find your own way."

Then there was only darkness.


End file.
